Xicril plant
The xicril plant, also called the clapping plant or the hissing vine, is a carnivorous, vine-like plant native to Nataresh that catches and digests animal prey by sending out two vines to grab them. Smaller specimens consume mostly insects and small mammals, though larger variants (which can grow to three feet in height and five feet in diameter) can trap birds and medium-sized dogs. Its trapping structure is formed by the spade-tipped vines, which possess thorns. The thorns contain potent venom that can paralyze small animals, though it usually just leaves a painful sting and drowsiness for large animals and average sentients. The prey is then dragged to a central sac and engulfed. Description The xicril plant is a medium-to-large plant whose structure can be described as a rosette of six to ten vines, which arise from the base of a tall, hollow stem that acts as the mouth and stomach. Each stem possesses three to four rings of eyes and reaches a maximum size ranging from eleven inches to three feet, depending on the variant. Long vines with robust spades are usually formed after flowering. The "mouth" of the stem expands and bends toward the prey as it is dragged by the vines. The spades' surface contains orange pigments and its edges secrete mucilage. The faces of the spades are covered by stiff spikes, which interlock with those of separate spades and prevent large prey from escaping. The spade-tipped vines exhibit rapid plant movements, striking out in pairs when the eyes of the stem detect movement and grasping the prey. The vines of the plant will lash out in about 0.1 seconds and take roughly five seconds to pull small prey into the stem's maw, and up to three minutes for large prey. Biology Digestion If the prey is unable to escape the grasp of the two vines and subsequent insertion into the elastic stem, it will stimulate the inner surface of the stem and cause it to seal hermetically, forming an airtight 'stomach' in which digestion occurs. Digestion is catalysed by enzymes secreted by glands in the stem walls. During the digestion period, the vines act as defense mechanisms to swat at passing animals. Digestion takes anywhere from one to twelve days, after which the prey is reduced to a soft skeleton. After ejecting the skeleton, the stem reopens and is ready for reuse. The stem has also been known to reopen during the digestion of a victim if the victim is small and another small animal happens to wander by. Sight A single xicril can have as many as 30 eyes, arranged in intermittent rings along the length of the stem-sac. They can only see simple movement, blurred shapes, and light fluctuations, and are able to see in common visible wavelengths and infrared. Vocalizations The xicril is one of the few known plants that possesses the ability to hiss, which is accomplished by lightly inflating the stem and "puckering" the end, then squeezing air through it. It often makes such noises when it feels threatened, such as catching sight of a moving object that is larger than itself. Lore Explorers of Nataresh have described giant variants which are allegedly able to swallow beings the size of an adult Human. Such variants have yet to be found. Category:List of Flora Category:Flora of Nataresh